Harry Potter and the Search for the Order
by JadeShadow
Summary: When the Order of the Phoenix is kidnapped by Voldemort, it is up to Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and a girl named Ariadne to bring them home safely.PG for later chapters. H/G, R/H
1. Chapter One

A/N: I've actually written a rough draft of this! Please R/R!  
  
Disclaimer: All this belongs to JKR  
  
   
  
Harry Potter stopped and wiped his forehead with a gloved hand. Leaning against his rake he surveyed the Dursleys' yard.  
  
"If there's a leaf on that yard when I get back home, you'll be in your room for weeks!" Aunt Petunia had shrieked before leaving with Dudley for a dietician's office. Apparently the grapefruit diet hadn't lasted a year, and Dudley had gained another fifty pounds. After making a comment about sumo wrestling, Harry found himself charged with every chore in the house. The murderous godfather scare hadn't lasted too long, although they did allow him to write letters to his friends.  
  
Harry's eyes wandered from the yard and came to rest on old Mrs. Figg's house. Ever since Dumbledore had mentioned an "Arabella Figg" as a member of the "old crowd," Harry couldn't shake the notion that old Mrs. Figg was, indeed, a witch. He hadn't been forced to stay at her house in a year, but he could still remember the cats.  
  
Thinking of cats reminded him of Crookshanks. With a grin Harry returned to raking the yard. His bushy-haired friend Hermione Granger, Crookshanks's owner, had gone to London over the summer and was spending the last days of her vacation at the Burrow with Harry's best friend, Ron Weasley. Ron had recently written, although it sounded as though Hermione had badgered him into it. Harry reached into a pocket to read it:  
  
   
  
Harry—  
  
Hello there! I'm at the Burrow and absolutely nothing interesting has happened except that Crookshanks tried to eat Pig. Luckily Hermione stopped him. Oh, yes, all the garden gnomes have left because Crookshanks has eaten three of them. That cat is about as crazy as his owner. Can you believe Hermione thinks it's important to owl your friends every other day? I swear, the girl's insane! She's also trying to get me to finish my homework, as if it's due tomorrow. I try to tell her we've got two weeks to finish it and she acts like I've announced the Apocalypse is tomorrow and I'm not going to say good-bye to anyone! Honestly! The only up side to her presence is that I have someone to play chess against. She'll never beat me. There, I feel better now.  
  
Anyway, all the girls in this house (Ginny, Mum, and Hermione) say I shouldn't waste time telling you what's going on in the wizarding world, but Dad says you ought to know. You-Know-Who (I know, I know) has been in hiding. All the reporters reckon he's up to some giant plan to take over the world. Oh, did I mention they interviewed Trelawny? HA! Blathering on about how you're doomed and then by your death we'll all be happy and all other sorts of b.s.  
  
Hermione's yelling at me now about cursing and all sorts of other things I don't give a bloody damn about. Ha, I got a good reaction from that. Well, I suppose I'll go drive her crazy now. I do enjoy doing that.  
  
Your friend,  
  
Ron  
  
   
  
Harry laughed and folded the letter up. Tucking it into his pocket, he reflected that no matter how annoyed he sounded, Ron was quite happy to have Hermione at his house. He wondered if there was more going on than Ron was letting on.  
  
With Ron thusly occupied, Harry wondered how Ginny was faring. According to Ron they'd always been rather close. Funny, how thinking her name could set all sorts of ideas running through his head. He sighed and tried to push the redhead girl out of his mind. With another sigh he glanced at Mrs. Figg's house again, then picked up his rake and went back inside.  
  
***  
  
Ariadne Figg dropped the curtain she held and turned to her mother. "He's gone back inside. They can come now."  
  
Arabella Figg nodded and threw a silver powder into the fire. Ariadne left the sweltering room before the Order arrived. Her mother never allowed her to be present during these meetings, allowing only that if she heard what they discussed, she would become a target herself.  
  
After a moment the doorbell rang, showing that they had arrived. Ariadne pressed her ear against the closed door and wondered if her mother abandoned her 50-year-old woman pretense when she was around the other witches and wizards. When Ariadne realized the living room had been spelled to be soundproof, she sighed and slid to the floor, considering her limited options. Finally, she stood, went to her room, opened the window, checked the street, and pulled herself through. She landed heavily on the ground, then stood and brushed herself off, contemplating her freedom.  
  
Whenever people saw her with her mother, she was quickly explained away as a niece, a part she fitted nicely, either when her mother was disguised or normal. Arabella's masquerade consisted of grey eyes and grey hair; in reality she had golden blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Ariadne, on the other hand, had straight ebony hair and bright, disconcertingly blue eyes. She had long ago realized and accepted that she took after her father in looks and that she would probably never find out whom he was. In a way, it was useful; nobody but Albus Dumbledore knew that Arabella Figg had a daughter and it had to stay that way for both their sakes.  
  
Shaking her head, she took off down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, breathing in the autumn air. Privet Drive was in a nice neighborhood, even if all the houses looked very much the same. Her sharp eyes took in everything; after living as a Secret Keeper's daughter, her suspicion levels were very high.  
  
"Hey!" called a voice from behind her. Ariadne froze and slowly turned around. A lone figure stood in front of Number Four Privet Drive, waving. Regaining her calm, she strolled back.  
  
"Hello," she said. "Harry, isn't it?"  
  
The young man in front of her grinned. "Do my aunt and uncle yell that loud?" After laughing at his joke, he added, "I've seen you around…"  
  
"Ariadne," she supplied. "I'm Mrs. Figg's niece."  
  
"She looks old enough to be your grandmother."  
  
"Well, you know." With a shrug she looked around. "What're you doing?"  
  
"I was raking the yard." He sighed. "You don't see any extra leaves, do you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good. I'm under a threat of being locked in my room until school starts. But that's only two more weeks!" he added brightly. "September first!"  
  
"Same here. Why would they lock you in your room?"  
  
He shrugged. "My aunt's my mum's sister. They didn't like each other very much."  
  
There was a lapse in conversation, as each considered this, which ended when Aunt Petunia's car pulled up in the driveway. Beady-eyed, she inspected her yard while Harry, Ariadne, and Dudley watched silently. Ariadne scrutinized her with revulsion.  
  
Finally, she came back to Harry. "You got everything," Petunia said grudgingly. With a fake smile she turned to Ariadne. "Hello, dear. Would you like to come in for tea?"  
  
"Sure," the girl replied with the same sickeningly sweet smile. Petunia steered Dudley into the house and seated her son and her guest at the kitchen table.  
  
"Boy," she snapped at her nephew. Harry nodded dutifully and set the water on the stove. Petunia left after nudging Dudley and glancing at Ariadne. The black-haired boy finished the tea and served everyone. Ariadne sipped her tea, watching Harry over the rim of her cup. Half the girls in her year, and then some, would give everything to sit in her spot. She considered writing about the experience in second person and selling it at school. If she did that, she would have to pay attention. Harry's bright green eyes were staring into the distance and his tousled hair had been flattened very carefully on his forehead, making it nearly impossible for Ariadne to see his famous scar.  
  
"So," said Dudley, breaking the silence with a nasty look at his cousin, "where's the cake?"  
  
"You probably shouldn't have any," Harry retorted.  
  
"I'll tell Mum."  
  
`"And she'll say 'you can't wear the school knickerbockers anymore, so you can't have any cake.'"  
  
Dudley's face purpled as he slunk off, leaving his half-drunk tea on the table. Harry sighed and cleaned it up, apparently unaware of Ariadne's eyes following him.  
  
"Why do you put up with it?" she said finally.  
  
He shrugged, his back to her. "I can't leave."  
  
Ariadne knew why he couldn't. She had overheard Dumbledore talking to her mother and to Arthur Weasley, and she knew that Harry was only untouchable from his aunt and uncle's house. An unfair price to pay, she decided. Still, he seemed to survive. She smiled when he rummaged around in the cupboard and found a chocolate bar, which her offered to her genteelly. She took it, broke it in half, and handed half of it back to him. He sat down and started to eat his half, being very obvious about his stare.  
  
"You're funny," he said finally.  
  
Ariadne swallowed and lifted an eyebrow. "How so?"  
  
He shrugged. "I'm not sure, but there's something about you that reminds me—" Abruptly he stopped his eyes wide and his skin pale. One hand automatically went to his scar while the other gripped the table so hard his knuckles turned white.  
  
"Are you all right?" she said, concerned.  
  
"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. Under his breath, nearly out of her hearing, he added, "He must be close."  
  
Ariadne stood, dread rising in her stomach. "Perhaps I should go home," she said politely.  
  
He nodded. "I'm sorry, but—"  
  
"It's all right," she assured him. On impulse she kissed his cheek in a sisterly manner, hoping to distract him from his pain more than anything. Waving, she backed out of the kitchen, let herself out the front door, and set back to her house at a dead run. At the last second she remembered that she had to enter through her window. She slowly dropped to the floor and stood up, grabbing her wand. She snuck forward, out of her room, and arrived to find the sitting room door unlocked and open. She peeked in to see an empty room, and was just about to search the rest of the room when something caught her eye. Looking around cautiously, she studied the floor and gasped. The Dark Mark, its skull face leering at her as the snake crawled out, had been etched into the hardwood floor. She closed her mouth to hide her scream and left the room, running back to the Dursleys'.  
  
As she ran, she calmed herself by deciding that the Order of the Phoenix had only been kidnapped, not killed, because otherwise their bodies would have been unceremoniously strewn across the room…Taking a deep breath, she pushed the image out of her mind, only to have names begin running through her head: Mundungus Fletcher, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Arabella Figg, Arthur Weasley…Weasley…Ginny, her closest friend at Hogwarts…She burst through the front door and into the sitting room, where the Dursleys were watching TV and ignoring Harry, who had also snuck in to watch.  
  
"Ariadne?" Harry said.  
  
She opened her mouth, intending to explain what had happened, but instead all she could say was, "They're gone. He got them. They're gone. They're gone."  
  
"Who's gone?" Mr. Dursley demanded, enraged at the young hooligan who had burst into his sitting room during his favorite program.  
  
"The Order," she managed.  
  
Harry's face went blank. "The Order—?"  
  
Suddenly the room was filled with popping. Twenty wizards appeared, including the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, who first spotted Harry and went over to him.  
  
"Thank God you're alive," he said, settling a hand on his shoulder, relived.  
  
"Yeah, I'm all right," Harry said, bewildered. "My scar hurt a minute ago." Pointing at Ariadne, he added, "She's not okay."  
  
Fudge turned. Ariadne had regained enough composure to shut her mouth, but she could now only stare up at the Minister—someone her mother regarded with an amount of distaste—with blank eyes. She had never been so frightened. Before Fudge could ask anything, the fireplace exploded and all the Weasleys except Charlie and Bill appeared, accompanied by Hermione Granger.  
  
"Oh, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley gasped in relief.  
  
"I'm sorry for interrupting Minister," Hermione added formally, "but Mr. Weasley's clock hand went from 'meeting' to 'mortal peril' and we thought we should come check on Harry."  
  
"Where's Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley demanded, grasping Harry's hand.  
  
"Gone," Ariadne broke in, regaining her senses. "They're gone. Harry said his scar hurt and I knew something was wrong so I went home and I climbed in through the window and went into the sitting room and when I got there everyone was gone and the Dark Mark was on the floor and I ran back here and—and I'm sorry!"  
  
"Ariadne!" Ginny exclaimed, running over and throwing her arms around her friend's neck. "I didn't realize you and your aunt lived down here!"  
  
"Uh, Ginny? Who is this?" Fred said.  
  
"Explain yourself," Fudge said simultaneously.  
  
"I'm Arabella Figg's niece, sir, Ariadne."  
  
"She's in my year, in Gryffindor."  
  
"I've met her, Minister, and I'll vouch for her," Mrs. Weasley added.  
  
Fudge didn't look quite convinced, but Ariadne didn't care. One of the wizards tapped him on the shoulder and whispered something. Fudge nodded and straightened.  
  
"Can you show us the scene of the crime?"  
  
"Sure." Ariadne shrugged. Turning, she led them out of the house and back down to her house. Ginny ran to catch up.  
  
"Hey! Mum's getting Harry' stuff. He's going to come stay with us."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure you'll have lots of fun," Ariadne said knowingly. Ginny punched her lightly in the arm and blushed.  
  
"Well, you know. Anyway, do you want to come too?"  
  
She shrugged again. "I don't have anywhere else to go. The rest of my family is Muggle. Aunt Bella was the first witch." She opened the door to her house and immediately went to her room, refusing to look at the sitting room. Ginny followed her and helped her pack her trunk, watching her friend with concern.  
  
"Will you be okay?"  
  
Ariadne glanced over at her. "I guess—Aunt Bella's like my mother, you know? She's all I've got." After a pause, she added, "What about your dad?"  
  
Ginny set her shoulders firmly. "I'll be all right. They're bound to find them soon, right?"  
  
Ariadne nodded. "Right. Help me get this out of here." They dragged her trunk into the sitting room to find the rest of the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, Fudge, eight of the wizards, and a large black dog. He was whining and sniffing around on the ground as two wizards guarded him.  
  
"That's Snuffles, a neighborhood stray. He hangs out in our backyard," Ariadne said, frowning. "Can I bring him?"  
  
"Sure," said Mrs. Weasley after a swift, undecipherable look at Harry and Ron. "Do you want to go first, dear? It's 'The Burrow.'"  
  
Ariadne nodded and threw Floo powder into the fireplace. Pushing in her trunk, she grasped the dog's fur, walked into the fire, and shouted, "The Burrow!" 


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: Here is chapter two, although I don't think anyone saw chapter one because something got messed up when I uploaded it. Many thanks to The White Plume for uploading all my stories.  
  
   
  
Disclaimer: It ain't mine!  
  
   
  
Harry went last; as Fudge wanted to do a last-minute check to make sure he was all right. After many protests, he finally managed to step into the fireplace in Ariadne's house, and stumble out of the fireplace in the Burrow, coughing and clutching his glasses. Everyone else had gathered in the living room and was waiting patiently for him.  
  
"What's going on?" he demanded, taking a seat between Hermione and Ginny. Ron sat on Hermione's other side, and Harry firmly ignored the way their fingers were laced together.  
  
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Have you ever heard of the Order of the Phoenix, dear?" Harry shook his head.  
  
"It's a group of witches and wizards devoted to stopping Voldemort, disregarding most of the Ministry's bureaucratic rules in the process," Percy said officially. Harry laughed inwardly at Percy's slightly disapproving tone, coming from years of going by the book.  
  
"I think your parents were a part of it," Mrs. Weasley continued. "The group was disbanded after…the attack," she glanced at his scar briefly with an upset expressions, "but due to…recent events…they were revived."  
  
"They're targets, of course," said Percy. "We think that You-Know- Who discovered where they were meeting."  
  
Harry nodded, a sinking cloud solidifying and settling in his stomach. "Who—who's a part of it?"  
  
"Dumbledore, McGonagall, my aunt," said Ariadne. She absentmindedly scratched behind Snuffles's ears. Harry wondered if she knew who the dog really was.  
  
"Dad," Ron added. Hermione squeezed his hand; Harry pretended not to notice. Instead he glanced at Ginny, whose face was set, and then at Snuffles, who gave him an apologetic look. Percy stood and said goodbye, explaining that he needed to get back to the Ministry, "to see if there's any news." Fred and George silently retreated to their room. Mrs. Weasley glanced from the large black dog to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and a look of understanding brightened her eyes.  
  
"Ginny, why don't you show Ariadne your room? We can put her trunk there, although I think she'll have to sleep down here."  
  
"All right," said Ginny with a grin. "Come on, we can ransack Ron's room while we're at it."  
  
Ariadne giggled and followed her up the stairs. Harry felt a strange twinge at Ginny's departure but dismissed it, sending Mrs. Weasley a grateful look as she passed by. She smiled at him and locked the doors behind her. Immediately Sirius Black reverted to his human form. He stretched, obviously relieved to be able to stand up again. Harry glared at him.  
  
"Have you been in the neighborhood all summer?" he demanded.  
  
Sirius stopped in mid-stretch. "No, I've been at Remus's most of the time. But yes, I was in your neighborhood several times," he said cautiously.  
  
"Why didn't you come visit?"  
  
"I wasn't allowed to," Sirius replied calmly. "The chances of a Voldemort strike happening, and being blamed on me, were too high."  
  
"Are you a member of the Order?" Hermione asked, heading off the potential argument. Harry's anger melted away; it was hard to be angry with someone who was technically on the run.  
  
"Yes," he answered. "We all were members: James, Remus, Lily, Wormtail, Bella, Sandy…"  
  
"Does that mean Lupin's gone too?" Ron said.  
  
Sirius nodded. "Snape, too, if you care to believe that he's in the Order. In fact, the only core subject teacher that you've got is Flitwick, who is an honorary member because his Charm abilities are so coveted. He couldn't risk coming to meetings."  
  
"Wow," said Harry. "So, we've only got two weeks to find them?"  
  
Sirius fixed his godson with a fierce stare, making Harry cringe. Oops. "You are not going to do anything. This is a job for professionally trained wizards."  
  
"All of who are currently captured," Harry muttered under his breath.  
  
"You," he pointed at Harry, "and you," Hermione, "and you," Ron, "are going to stay here."  
  
"Oh, right," Harry said hotly. "Our teachers and Ron's dad have been captured and you expect us to sit here?" He was aware of Hermione's stare but didn't really care. This was about his friends, and it was partially his fault that they were captured. Guilt about last June still hung around him. It was his fault Wormtail escaped, making it his fault Voldemort was back, making it his fault that the Order had been captured. For that matter, it was his fault that three wizards had died: Cedric, and John and Elizabeth McGavery, a couple who had been too close to a Death Eater chapter house. "And what are you going to do? You're the one wanted for murder; you can't just go running around, either."  
  
Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll stay here, or go back to Lupin's place. It's deserted, no one will be around there except his cat."  
  
"A werewolf with a cat?" Ron muttered. Louder he said, "It should be okay for you to stay here. Mum won't care, and my brothers will probably think it's smashing, having a wanted murderer in the house."  
  
Sirius shook his head. "I'd just as soon not have them know I'm here. The less who know, the better—"  
  
He froze when they heard voices outside the door. "Oi, George, the door is locked!"  
  
"Really," said George. "Who's in there?"  
  
"It's probably just Ron and Hermione," Fred guessed.  
  
"Again? That's the third time this week."  
  
"Fifth."  
  
"Fifth? We'll have to talk to Ron about this." George's voice began to fade as they walked away. "I mean, if you don't snog your girlfriend enough, she'll dump you quicker than lightning."  
  
After a very long moment of silence, Harry slowly turned his head to look at his friends. Hermione, purple, had buried her face in Ron's neck. Ron was also red, but had a guilty, goofy grin on his face. Harry found himself caught between nausea and hilarity.  
  
Sirius gave the pair a knowing look and said conversationally, "You know Ron, he's right. And, come on, the girl's staying at your house…"  
  
Hermione shot up and stared at Sirius with a mixture of shock and disgust. "Sirius! You're not supposed to—what do you know about…" She stopped suddenly, her face frozen in a look that suggested she had just tasted something incredibly nasty. In a much small voice she said, "Oh…"  
  
Sirius laughed. "I wasn't in jail all my life, Hermione. Don't act so surprised. The stories I could tell you…"  
  
"It's not that, it's just—" Hermione stopped again. "Never mind."  
  
Harry found himself immensely intrigued at the thought of Sirius's stories, wondering if his parents were in any of them. He and Ron looked at Sirius expectantly. With a sigh Sirius sat back down. "Hermione? You probably want to leave the room."  
  
Still looking disgusted, Hermione got up, stopped at the door, and looked back to say, "My mother always told me that men are pigs."  
  
Sirius laughed and waved. "Go on."  
  
With a sigh and a shake of her head she complied.  
  
***  
  
Ariadne and Ginny looked up from their cards when Hermione came into the kitchen, looking most unimpressed with something. "What're you playing?"  
  
"Exploding Snap," Ginny replied, gathering up the cards and shuffling them. "Are you going to play?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Ariadne studied Hermione, trying to decipher what exactly had occurred to give her that look on her face. Silently, she picked up her cards and they played until Ginny, with a satisfied smirk, lay down her last card, only to have the deck explode. She sighed. "You always win."  
  
Ginny shrugged. "It's luck."  
  
"Oh, don't lie," said Hermione. "You grew up with six brothers. You obviously learned how to cheat."  
  
Ginny placed a hand across her forehead and closed her eyes with a dramatic gasp. "I cannot believe you would suspect me of doing such a thing."  
  
"Thing? Like what? Playing honestly?"  
  
Ginny dropped the pose and smiled. "Yes, well, anyway, let's do something."  
  
"Like what?" said Ariadne.  
  
"Like bursting in on Ron."  
  
"No, no, no, let's not," Hermione said quickly.  
  
"Let's," Ginny retorted.  
  
Ariadne, being an only child and used to the whimsical notion of privacy, was amazed. "You barge in on your brothers?"  
  
"All the time." Ginny grinned. "And they return the favor. At least they did until I went to Hogwarts and learned how to hex them. Anyway, shall we?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Hermione threw up her hands and followed them from the kitchen, muttering, "Don't say I didn't warn you…"  
  
Ariadne glanced back at her. "What is there to be afraid of?"  
  
"Nothing to be afraid of," she replied calmly. "Except shock."  
  
Ginny motioned for them to be quiet and tiptoed to the door. She slowly opened it and the three girls slipped in. A strange, almost recognizable man sat talking with Harry and Ron. Ariadne peeked at Ginny, who shrugged and pressed herself against the wall, hiding behind a tall, strange plant. When Harry started talking again they exchanged silent giggles.  
  
"So, Ron, you've got to tell me. Is she any good?" said Harry.  
  
Ron grinned. "Harry, this is Hermione we're talking about. Perfect at everything."  
  
"Did she learn it out of a book?" Harry sniggered.  
  
Ron punched his arm. "Stop."  
  
"Oh, it's quite reasonable," the man replied casually. "I wouldn't be surprised if that's where my girlfriend—well, one of them, anyway—learned everything, but hey, I'm not complaining."  
  
Harry shook his head. "Sirius, if Hermione was here—"  
  
Ariadne slowly realized he stopped when Ginny started to scream. She, herself, felt her eyes and mouth go wide and her skin pale. Shock ran through her as she realized who he had to be. "Sorry," Hermione muttered.  
  
Fred, George, and Mrs. Weasley ran downstairs. Ron came to his senses, plugged his ears, and yelled, "Ginny, stop! It's okay!"  
  
Ginny's mouth automatically closed, through complete terror remained on her face. "That-that-that-that's—"  
  
"Sirius Black," the man finished with a short bow, "at your service."  
  
"You-you're a murderer," Ariadne said faintly. It couldn't be. Why would Harry trust him?  
  
"No," he said. "Ask Ron, Hermione, Harry, Dumbledore…"  
  
"I'll vouch for him," Mrs. Weasley said firmly.  
  
Fred and George, busy congratulating themselves for finding a murderer, stopped and stared at their mother. "He's innocent?"  
  
"Yes," everyone but Ginny, Ariadne, and the twins chorused.  
  
Ariadne couldn't register this. It was impossible; he was as guilty as…as anything! "Did she know?" she finally gasped.  
  
Black looked at her, puzzled. "Did who know?"  
  
"M-m-mu-my aunt."  
  
Sirius laughed. "Arabella Figg? She knew."  
  
"And she let you into the house?" Ariadne shrieked, dimly aware that everyone was staring at her. "She hates you! She would kill you on the spot, after what you did to—" She stopped at glanced at Harry, who was eying her with an admirable lack of confusion.  
  
More gently than one would have thought a murderer capable, Black said, "I know what you're talking about, and I swear I'm innocent."  
  
Ariadne met his gaze. Although she didn't believe he was innocent, and she knew her mother didn't either, Dumbledore thought he was, and that would be enough to get him safe passage through Order business. She shook her head slightly, then more vigorously.  
  
Black sighed and wiped his face with a hand. Harry looked from Ariadne to Black with a questioning look on his face. Fred asked, "What is she talking about? That Pettigrew guy?"  
  
"Who's still alive." Black barked a laugh. "Nah, they're both more upset about what I didn't do her aunt's best friend."  
  
"Why was she mad if you didn't do it?" George demanded.  
  
"She thought—thinks—that he got Lily and James—Harry's parents—killed," Ariadne said, softly but steely. "Aunt Bella told me all about it when Black escaped. She warned me to be careful, and to watch Harry." With an embarrassed shrug she added, "It's our job, to watch over Harry."  
  
"Your aunt knew my parents?" Harry said. "Why do you have to watch over me?"  
  
She smiled thinly. "I can't tell you that."  
  
Black grinned. "Bella knew your parents. She was a Lovely Lady." A distant look passed over his face. "Bella Figg, Lily Evans, Sandy McIntyre…" He sighed. "Those were the days…"  
  
Ariadne studied him, slipping to melt into the shadows by the door while everyone else started drifting off. Something in his face, showing that he was plainly lost in his thoughts, was oddly familiar. Something…but she couldn't quite place it. With a sigh she left, searching for Ginny; she found her friend sitting in her room, humming to herself while flipping the pages of a book.  
  
Ariadne flopped on the bed next to Finny and peered over her shoulder. Ginny was looking at a scrapbook full of pictures of Harry. Ariadne smiled. She knew that Ginny wasn't the same star-crossed, tongue- tied girl with a crush on Harry anymore. She had evolved into a very calm, mature girl who watched Harry wistfully, hoping that one day he would see her. Ariadne thought that it was very sweet and almost a little sad; she hated to disturb her, but since all the pictures of Harry were busy pointing in her general direction, she figured Ginny already knew she was there. However, when she tapped her on the shoulder, she made Ginny jump. "Ariadne! I thought you were Harry!"  
  
She giggled. "That would be so funny if he walked it right now."  
  
"If who walked in?" said a new voice. Harry stood framed in the doorway.  
  
"Oh! Harry! Hi!" said Ariadne, covering for a petrified Ginny. Take that back, Ginny could still be a little tongue-tied around Harry. "Where's Ron and Hermione?" she asked, elbowing Ginny covertly; the red head came to her senses and shoved the scrapbook under her pillow.  
  
"They were walking up to Ron's room hand in hand. I figured I didn't want to be around." Harry hesitantly came in and sat down, putting Ariadne between him and Ginny, a place she wasn't keen on being. "So…who were you talking about?"  
  
"Oh, no one," said Ginny quickly.  
  
Ariadne stood, figuring she might as well leave them alone. "I'll be right back."  
  
Ginny sent her a "please don't leave me alone with him I don't know what to do when we're alone together in a room please stay and be more support" look. "Okay…"  
  
Ariadne grinned sweetly, catching Ginny's sudden glare, and left, closing the door behind her. Still grinning, she sauntered off to find her trunk.  
  
***  
  
Harry sat next to Ginny, feeling very awkward. She was normally just Ron's little sister, not afraid to treat him the same as she treated Ron, but now, being alone with her, the atmosphere suddenly became very tense, especially with her sitting next to him, blushing furiously and staring firmly at the door.  
  
"So," he said, making a brave stab at conversation, "who were you talking about?"  
  
"No one," she whispered. "We weren't talking about anyone."  
  
Harry snorted. "Right."  
  
She half-turned her head towards him, seemingly reassured by his snort. A funny thought. "Really."  
  
"It's all right," he said persuasively, "you can tell me."  
  
Ginny, however, was in full possession of the famous Weasley stubbornness. "No, I can't."  
  
"Yes, you can."  
  
"Well, I won't tell you, Harry Potter!"  
  
Harry stuck out his bottom lip and gave her a puppy-dog look of pleading. Ginny giggled cautiously. "What?" he demanded.  
  
Still giggling softly, she replied, "You're not nearly as good at that as Ron is. He does it to Hermione all the time, and usually gets what he wants." She suddenly sighed and fell onto her back on her bed, lying and staring up at the ceiling.  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked, doing his best to ignore the way her shirt crawled up to expose her stomach.  
  
"Oh, sometimes I'm just a little jealous of them, that's all." Seemingly embarrassed, she got up off the bed. "Listen, I'll be right back."  
  
"Ginny—" Harry started. He didn't want her to go. He wanted her to stay and talk. He liked listening to her talk. Without realizing it, he grabbed each of her wrists in a different hand and pulled her back down. She landed heavily next to him on the bed. At first Harry couldn't figure out why her eyes suddenly widened; her mouth tightened and closed, and her breath came in short gasps through her nose. Then he realized that their noses were mere centimeters apart.  
  
Feeling extremely ungainly, he said, "Err…what now?"  
  
Ginny didn't respond for several heartbeats. Finally, in a strangled whisper, she said, "I don't know."  
  
Harry glanced down and realized that her hands had somehow wormed their way into his. Feeling himself blush, he said, "So…what should we do?"  
  
After another several seconds she managed, "I think I'm going to faint."  
  
"Oh, no," said Harry, alarmed. "Err…don't do that."  
  
"Why not?" she said, her brown eyes looking terrified. She looked as though she would be much—not happier, but…calmer, maybe—in a dead faint.  
  
"Because…because…I much prefer you with your eyes open."  
  
"Really? Why?" Cautious mischief danced through her eyes, which he really hadn't noticed before mentioning them in his lame excuse. He took a moment to study them before responding. He saw his own reflection in her warm, brown, rich, creamy coffee eyes, which sparkled. They were so…Ginny, at least, the Ginny as far as he knew her. And the Ginny he knew and wanted to get to know was as beautiful as her eyes.  
  
"Because you have pretty eyes," he blurted. Blushing, he added, "Um."  
  
Ginny had gone bright red. She looked down, avoiding his eyes, but then she saw their entwined hands, making her blush spread down her neck. "Um," she agreed. After another pause, she looked back and him and said hesitantly, "D'you…do you…really think my eyes are pretty?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry said honestly, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. After waiting a moment, he slowly started to lean forward. Ginny closed her eyes and tipped her chin up invitingly. Harry closed his own eyes…  
  
Their lips were nearly touching when the door burst open with a BANG. Fred started imitating a siren while George said in a loud, firm voice, "You! Trying to corrupt our sister, eh?" He leaned forward. "Well it won't work!"  
  
Harry and Ginny had jumped apart. Now Harry tried to glare at George and silently curse him while Ginny giggled. That was very distracting, that giggle. "Aw, come off it George!"  
  
"OY! RON!" Fred yelled, sticking his head out into the hallway. "DROP HERMIONE FOR A MINUTE AND GET DOWN HERE!"  
  
Seconds later Ron, Hermione, Ariadne, and Mrs. Weasley stood in the doorway. Sirius stood behind them, winking at Harry. George turned to them somberly, his hands clasped behind his back.  
  
"I'm sorry to inform you that the supposedly innocent Harry here was trying to seduce our young Ginny here," he started, gesturing to them respectively.  
  
"What? That's a load of—" Harry broke in, although he was blushing nearly as hard as Ginny and avoiding Ron's suspicious look.  
  
"And since I am far too young to have a sister who makes out with older men," George continued, drowning out Harry's last word, "I condemn Harry to the Ultimate Humiliation!"  
  
"Hold up," said Ginny, recovering from her laughter. "First of all, Harry's only a year older than I am. Second of all, you are only seventeen, and I seriously doubt that you and Alicia just sit and talk when you two go out on a date." George reddened and avoided Fred's laughing stare. "And finally, you can stop with all the Ultimate Humiliation! Besides, who says I'm so young and innocent?"  
  
Fred broke the stunned silence. "But you haven't kissed—"  
  
He stopped dead when Ginny took Harry's face in her hands and kissed him. It was petal-soft, and brief, but it jolted through him like lightning. After that Ginny sat and smiled at him, basking in a glowing exuberance that faded when she realized that everyone in the room was staring at her.  
  
In a very small voice she said, "Did I just—?"  
  
As one, everyone nodded.  
  
"Ah." With that her eyes rolled up and she fell back in a dead faint. Ron stepped up to inspect her, then turned to Harry. "What is it? Animal magnetism?"  
  
"Stuff it," Harry growled. Inwardly, however, he suddenly felt better than he had in months. Glancing surreptitiously at Ginny, he realized that there was no one else in the world he would rather be with. 


End file.
